Customer Reviews

The Creed Room: A Novel of Ideas

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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Daniel Spiro has been able to accomplish a difficult feat for a writer: integrating stimulating discussions of values, and politics within a fictional plot which is interesting in it's own right. In reading this book I became involved with the characters portrayed: what was going to happen to them? The fiction was suspenseful, and the characters had flesh. The ideas presented in the Creed Room were not "shallow". The arguements presented were not "straw". The Creed Room is as good as the excellent novel by Dan Lloyd which presents Lloyd's theory of consciousness in the guise of a mystery. Spiro's book captivated me throughout and prevented me to engage in my usual read the first 30 or 40 pages of a book and put
it down, never to be seen again.

The Creed Room is a fun story with a fresh look at real relationships intertwined with answers to serious issues facing our world today. The relationships between mother and son, man and woman are portrayed in such a manner as to not allow your eyes to leave the pages. There are surprises grand enough to make you jump out of your seat. The Creed Room is alive with noble intentions. A great first for Daniel Spiro, looking forward to more...

An unusual combination of accessible, engaging narrative and substantive intellectual exploration. The book succeeds not only in entertaining, but in providing access to ideas of religion and philosophy that prove thought-provoking regardless of the reader's level of training or experience. A well-conceived book that is far too rare in its approach and ambition.

Thought-provoking, entertaining, and at points even profound. An engaging work.

Time spent with "The Creed Room" is an exploration of one's current values and behavior in terms of their relevance to self-worth. Through insightful depiction, Dan Spiro's Creed Gang poses and examines various points of view on life's vicissitudes and society's controversies. Their ultimate philosophy of life, Empathetic Rationalism, evolves as comfortably as conversation with a trusted friend. Visiting "The Creed Room" is an opportunity to think outside one's familiar box.

Dan Spiro should be praised for writing fiction that is so riveting and yet enlightening. As a fiction writer, I know how narrow is the pathway to be crossed where deep pitfalls await on each side; the urge to lecture your ideas, and the ideology-free story that leaves your reader empty handed. Spiro has created a most entertaining balance. I read it in one seating and was sorry when it ended because I had a taste for more. His characters are not mindless but people with a well defined agenda. The writing does not glorify what they do. They are people with amazing discipline, and from some of them you want to stay away. The Creed Room is a great achievement. A must read.
Haggai Carmon, author of Triple Identity, and The Red Syndrome.

I completely enjoyed this fascinating fusion of action and ideas set in the Washington D.C. area. The story centers on high school teacher Sam Kramer whose restless quest for "something more" leads him to the Creed Room, where a group of colorful characters have assembled in response to a mysterious ad in The Washington Post. Their objective is to come up with a "new creed for humankind." A tall order, but Spiro guides us there with ample infusions of romance, suspense, and details of everyday life. An outstanding addition to the intense field of philosophical novels and a great read!

Are you a philosophy teacher? Looking for a reading that makes sense to students who believe philosophy and theology are boring? Want to have a philosophical take on American society and soul? This is the book! Spiro's understanding of philosophers and philosophical issues is that of a professional, and his story is most realistic.

Dan Spiro's Creed Room, through its characters, permits the reader to consider the fundamentals of modern thought in America without judgment. This novel is unique in that the exploration of beliefs is told in a story with fictional characters instead of a tome with static comparative analysis. It is thought provoking and entertaining at the same time. A truly great read.

Spiro weaves an absorbing novel. As I find myself swept up with the divisive issues of the day- immigration, war in Iraq, and Ugly Americans, the journey of the Creed Room's characters in forging a unifying philosophy gives me comfort.